On March 30, 2021, CPR joined Disability Rights Nebraska, the Arc, the National Federation for the Blind, and a coalition of Nebraska stakeholder organizations in filing a supplemental complaint with the federal Health and Human services Office of Civil Rights concerning TestNebraska, the State’s COVID-19 testing program. This supplemental complaint details the continuing legal violations and accessibility problems caused by the State testing program, and first raised with OCR in June of 2020.
To date, State officials have failed to resolve specific testing barriers experienced by residents with disabilities. Nebraska’s COVID-19 testing program still requires access to the Internet, and the ability to navigate and complete an online prescreening process without an option for scheduling by phone. Additionally, the State’s drive through testing model requires that residents have transportation to testing sites, and the ability to wait in a line of vehicles for test administration.
Complainants are requesting that OCR act on their pending complaints and that Nebraska make reasonable modifications to its testing program, including: 1) providing a phone option to register for TestNebraska that offers a live operator who will assist callers to sign up for testing; 2) putting information about the option of in-home testing on the state’s website so individuals unable to drive to a testing site can request a visit at their residence for testing; and 3) facilitate transportation access to TestNebraska sites by making existing state and federally funded non-emergency transportation and para transit programs available to residents who are able to travel to a State-operated testing site.
Read the June 2020 OCR Complaint.